“The Crown” will reign again on Netflix in early November 2022 for the fifth season of Netflix’s hit historical drama, but that gives us plenty of time to get to know its glittering array of new cast members. Meet the stars who will carry the programme through its last two seasons, from Imelda Staunton as the Queen to Bertie Carvel as Tony Blair.
The streaming service said Saturday that the drama series on Queen Elizabeth II and her extended family would begin its fifth season on November 9. The premiere will take place two months after the queen’s death on September 8 at the age of 96.
“The Crown” production was halted on the day of the queen’s death and again for the funeral of Britain’s longest-serving monarch.
Claire Foy appeared as the young princess Elizabeth ascending to the throne and growing into her role as queen in the first two seasons. Olivia Colman portrayed a more mature queen in seasons three and four.
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The show has received 22 Emmy nominations, including best drama series and top drama actress accolades for Foy and Colman. Josh O’Connor, who played Prince Charles as a young man in 13 episodes, was nominated for an Emmy for best drama actor.
Emma Corrin played Princess Diana in season four, and Elizabeth Debicki (“Tenet”) played her in seasons five and six. She co-stars with Dominic West as Prince Charles. When Elizabeth died, her oldest child, the prince, became King Charles III.
Staunton, a real national treasure, has a diverse acting resume, ranging from her BAFTA-winning performance in Mike Leigh’s Vera Drake (2004) to her delightfully nasty portrayal of Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter flicks. Staunton, who will take over for Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II as the series moves into the 1990s and 2000s, has stated that she is ‘genuinely honoured to be joining such an exceptional creative team and to be taking The Crown to its conclusion,’ leading the Royal Family in both Seasons 5 and 6 of the Netflix hit.
Prince Philip is played by Jonathan Pryce
Pryce bears a lot of responsibility as the first actor to play the Duke of Edinburgh after his death in April 2021. Yet he’s already a pro at portraying key historical individuals, from Pope Francis in The Two Popes (another Netflix blockbuster) to patriarch Patrick Bront in Walk Invisible: The Bront Sisters. Pryce stated that he is “ready to confront the daunting idea of portraying Prince Philip” when Tobias Menzies stands down from his role as the Queen’s late husband.
Diana, Princess of Wales – Elizabeth Debicki
Gillian Anderson’s performance in Season 4 demonstrated that an American can master Margaret Thatcher’s distinctive accent, so it will be interesting to see how Australian Debicki handles the clipped tones of the English Royal Family, particularly the distinctive Diana voice mastered so expertly by Emma Corrin. Debicki, 31, is well known for her roles in films like as Tenet and The Night Manager. She will play the late princess from the 1990s until her untimely death in 1997. She’s clearly ecstatic about the idea, describing it as a “real privilege and honour to be joining this amazing series.”
Although he may not be the first person to spring to mind as a Prince Charles impersonator, the 52-year-old West has prior experience portraying members of the English upper class. He recently appeared as Uncle Matthew in the BBC adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit of Love, and he will shortly appear in the Downton Abbey film sequel. West will take over for Josh O’Connor, who was praised for his nuanced and emotionally complex portrayal of Charles as a young man. West will portray the Prince of Wales at one of his most turbulent moments in life, his separation and subsequent divorce from Princess Diana.
Camilla Parker Bowles – Olivia Williams
Following the success of multi-talented writer/director/actor Emerald Fennell in her portrayal as a young Camilla Shand (then Parker Bowles), the 53-year-old Williams will play the future Duchess of Cornwall for the remaining two seasons. From her roles in Wes Anderson’s Rushmore in the 1990s to her most recent appearance in HBO’s sci-fi meets historical thriller The Nevers, Williams is a safe set of hands to guide Camilla through the next era of royal history.
Princess Margaret is played by Lesley Manville
Manville will step into the role of the Queen’s flamboyant younger sister, following in the footsteps of Vanessa Kirby and Helena Bonham Carter. She’s sure to get along well with her on-screen sister, as both Manville and Staunton have been favourites of filmmaker Mike Leigh, and even featured together in Vera Drake. Manville said of her casting, “to play siblings with my wonderful friend Imelda Staunton will be nothing short of a tremendous joy.”
Princess Anne is played by Claudia Harrison
Playing the Princess Royal catapulted Erin Doherty into the public eye. While Harrison, who will take over for the remaining two series of The Crown, is recognised for her roles in Murphy’s Law and Archangel, playing Princess Anne might propel her to new heights of global recognition. With Season 5 slated to include Anne’s divorce from her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, and remarriage to her second, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, in 1992, Harrison has enough of rich material to sink her dramatic teeth into.
The Queen’s second son appeared in previous seasons of The Crown as a kid and young man, with Season 4 even briefly covering his wedding to Sarah, Duchess of York. James Murray, 46, will replace Tom Byrne as an adult Duke of York, including during his divorce from Sarah in 1996, adding a major new show to his long list of previous acting credits, which includes crime dramas like McDonald and Dodds, romances like Under the Greenwood Tree, and sci-fi shows like Primeval.
Young Sam Woolf, a relative novice, has landed a career-making role in this global Netflix smash, playing Prince Edward as he evolves into manhood. In his sequences, Angus Imrie, who played the Queen and Prince Philip’s youngest child in the previous series, made quite an impression. The next two seasons will cover events such as Edward’s 1999 marriage to the Countess of Wessex, so it will be interesting to see what Woolf thinks of a growing Edward.
Miller has long been a familiar face on our screens, from Trainspotting to Elementary, and in The Crown’s penultimate series, he will play former Conservative Prime Minister John Major. Between 1990 and 1997, Major presided over dramatic events such as the early 1990s recession, Tory infighting over the EU Maastricht Treaty, and the sudden death of opposition leader John Smith, following which Tony Blair became Labour leader. Following Olivia Colman and Gillian Anderson’s portrayals of the Queen and Margaret Thatcher, there will no doubt be lots of fascinating insights into the monarch’s relationship with Thatcher’s successor.
Carvel, who is already a TV favourite thanks to hits like Doctor Foster and his most recent starring role in new detective series Dalgliesh, has the charisma and presence required to play former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair on screen. Blair’s election victory in 1997 was quickly followed by one of the most sad occurrences in royal history: the premature death of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, in a vehicle accident in Paris. As the guy who coined the phrase “People’s Princess,” Carvel’s portrayal of Blair is bound to contain some raw emotional moments.
